Is four minutes in the shower enough to get clean? RNZ is asking the important questions, especially in light of recent water restrictions urging people to keep showers to two to four minutes.

RNZ reporter Isra’a Emhail spoke with Colleen senior stylist Sean Mahoney about whether shorter showers - while great for saving water and energy - affect hair washing.

At Colleen, Sean says washing a client’s hair takes two to five minutes, depending on hair type. He recommends washing hair twice a week, rather than daily, using dry shampoo to extend time between washes.

Sean’s tips for saving time while washing your hair:

• Skip the double shampoo. Only do the 'rinse and repeat' method for dirty hair days, like after gardening.

• While waiting for your conditioner to soak in your hair, you can layer it up with a mask instead of rinsing and waiting again.

• Limit treatments to occasional use rather than daily.

• Put rich masks on your hair ends only. Putting it on the roots will mean it's harder to rinse out.